Congratulations!
You are in Week 18 of Your Pregnancy
FIRST TRIMESTER SECOND TRIMESTER THIRD TRIMESTER

Size: 5 to 5.6 inches Weight: 5.25 ounces

Your baby's skin is covered with vernix - a greasy type of material that protects the skin. Respiratory movements occur, but the lungs have not developed enough to permit survival outside of your uterus.

Your Baby

The rapid growth rate of previous weeks slows down. Finite features of the heart including ventricles and chambers should be visible during an utltrasound and some abnormalities can be detected.

You

Beware the dreaded leg cramp! They sneak up on you when you least expect them--when you're relaxed or sleeping. They're perfectly normal and harmless, but boy do they hurt. Doctors aren't sure what causes them, but your best (and really only) recourse is to stand barefoot on the floor and flex your toes up. If your leg pain intensifies, however, and your leg becomes swollen and painful to touch, contact your doctor immediately; these may be signs of a blood clot.

You may also be experiencing an ache or shooting pain on one or both sides of your lower abdomen. This is called "round-ligament pain." It's common between weeks 16 and 20 (as your ligaments stretch with your expanding uterus) and usually disappears.

And start discussing with your partner whether or not you want to know your baby's sex. You'll most likely have your first ultrasound between now and 20 weeks.